(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of spray nozzles and spray apparatus to be mounted on aerial systems for spray application.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
The most important part of any spray system is the spray apparatus or nozzle that produces the spray pattern. Many deficiencies of spray system nozzles prevent liquid application from being completely effective. For example, spray nozzles often spew clouds of aerosol particles mixed with larger droplets of liquid, each falling or drifting in a trajectory determined by droplet size and weight. Such spray patterns are undesirable, for example, during treatment of agricultural crops. Formation of non-uniform droplets is an inefficient method of application and may be harmful to the environment. Furthermore, reliably efficient operation of nozzles is of utmost importance to farmers and applicators whose schedules depend upon favorable weather conditions. Nozzles currently used for spraying agricultural crops are often comprised of heavy weight materials such as metals. When mounted on a helicopter boom, these nozzles add significantly to the total helicopter weight and therefore increase the number of refuelings required.
The Microfoil.RTM. (Union Carbide) spray boom is a well-known aerial spray boom drift control system. However, this system requires a substantial amount of maintenance and lost operation time.